Jets trade up 1 spot, draft Baylor QB Petty in 4th round

Quarterback Bryce Petty passes as he works out for scouts at Baylor NFL football Pro Day in Waco, Texas, Wednesday March 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Tony Gutierrez

May 02, 2015

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) The New York Jets added another quarterback to the mix, and then acquired a versatile running back on the final day of the NFL draft.

Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty was selected with the Jets' fourth-round pick after the team moved up one spot Saturday in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jets gave up the 104th pick and a seventh-rounder (No. 229) to take Petty.

''We felt good about Bryce today, in terms of where he fell,'' general manager Mike Maccagnan said. ''We made a little move just to make sure we got him because in our process we did find that there may have been other teams trying to move up to trade for him.''

The Jets later dealt their final pick - No. 224 - to St. Louis for running back Zac Stacy, who wrote ''yikes'' on Twitter shortly after the Rams drafted Georgia running back Todd Gurley in the first round Thursday night. The tweet was later deleted, but it was clear Stacy was not happy and wanted a change of scenery - and the Jets were able to acquire a pass-catching threat out of the backfield.

Stacy, who ran for 293 yards last season and caught 18 passes for 152 yards, joins a backfield that includes Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell, Stevan Ridley and Daryl Richardson. Stacy had 973 yards rushing as a rookie in 2013, but took a backseat to Tre Mason last season and figured to see even less action with Gurley on the team.

''We thought the idea of bringing Zac in with that kind of investment would be very beneficial and increase the competition at that position,'' Maccagnan said.

In the fifth round, New York selected Texas A&M offensive lineman Jarvis Harrison, who played left guard and left tackle in his senior season. With their final pick, No. 223, the Jets took Northwestern State defensive tackle Deon Simon in the seventh round.

New York drafted USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams in the first round Thursday, and selected Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith in the second and Louisville linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin in the third on Friday.

Petty, who threw 61 touchdowns the last two seasons, will work with Geno Smith, the starter the last two seasons, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is recovering from a broken leg that cut short his season last year, and Matt Simms. Coach Todd Bowles recently said the Jets hoped to add another quarterback - either in the draft or free agency.

''That was the longest 48 hours I've ever had in my life,'' Petty said during a conference call shortly after he was selected. ''To get that call was, honestly, unbelievable.''

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Petty has an impressive resume: He was the consensus 2013 Big 12 offensive player of the year, led Baylor to a 21-4 record as a starter and consecutive conference championships, and he holds 31 school records. His 1.18 career interception percentage is an NCAA record after throwing for 62 TDs and just 10 INTs in 845 attempts at Baylor.

He was the fifth quarterback taken, but felt he might have been a bit underrated heading into the draft. Petty played in a quarterback-friendly offense that had some scouts wondering if he could adjust to the complexities of an NFL system.

''It's all about the person,'' Petty said. ''My desire is to be the best, regardless of what system I'm in. What I was asked to do in college, it was different, but it's not because I couldn't do a pro-style offense or West Coast-offense or whatever. It's what I was told to do, and I did it.''

Petty will not be rushed or be expected to compete for the starting job this season. Bowles reiterated that Smith will enter training camp getting the majority of the first-team snaps and Fitzpatrick the second-team reps, so Petty can sit and learn offensive coordinator Chan Gailey's system and continue to develop.

''He has all the parts and pieces we think would make him potentially a good quarterback in the NFL,'' Maccagnan said, acknowledging that there will be a learning curve for Petty. ''Time will tell what level of player he becomes.''

Petty made a predraft visit to the Jets' facility, and felt comfortable from the moment he walked through the door.

''It just kind of felt like home - home away from home, really,'' said Petty, who's from Midlothian, Texas.

He said the Jets went through a little bit of Gailey's spread-style offense during his visit with the team, and saw some similarities to what he ran at Baylor.

''As far as being able to relate, being familiar with things, it was great,'' Petty said. ''It's definitely an offense that your guys can have fun with.''